


the overcoat

by dollfacerobot



Series: ‘tis the damn season [2]
Category: A Song of Ice and Fire & Related Fandoms, A Song of Ice and Fire - George R. R. Martin, Game of Thrones (TV)
Genre: (and not related), Alive Starks (ASoIaF), Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Christmas, Daenerys taking over the dog breeding family business?, F/F, F/M, Humor, Jon Snow Knows Nothing, Jon and Daenerys are dating, Meet the Family, Minor Theon Greyjoy/Robb Stark, POV Jon Snow, Past Jon Snow/Ygritte, Sansa Steals Your Woman, Sansa the Designer
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-25
Updated: 2020-12-25
Packaged: 2021-03-10 21:39:35
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,383
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28313940
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dollfacerobot/pseuds/dollfacerobot
Summary: Five times Jon should have known Sansa would steal his new girlfriend during Christmas time, and the one time he did.
Relationships: Jon Snow & Daenerys Targaryen, Jon Snow & Sansa Stark, Sansa Stark/Daenerys Targaryen
Series: ‘tis the damn season [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2072217
Comments: 10
Kudos: 50





	the overcoat

**Author's Note:**

  * For [aflashofgreen](https://archiveofourown.org/users/aflashofgreen/gifts).



> Here's another morally bankrupt Christmas fic dedicated to Jessica. Making me write daensa/jonsa fic was a huge lifeline for me this year and it's all thanks to you.

✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:* *:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧

Sansa was late, of course. This wouldn’t have been an issue for Jon, who frequently had to apologize for being late himself, but the thing was - he _knew_ perfectly well that Sansa was rarely late to things she cared about, such as committee meetings in high school or coffee rounds with her many friends or runway shows or her fucking _job._ or even family gatherings, for that matter, at least when she wasn’t going through a caged wolf phase.

But meeting him and Dany for Christmas shopping? Fifteen minutes late and counting.

He smiled apologetically, but Dany wasn’t even paying him any attention. She was inspecting the window of a nearby jewelry store. He wondered if he should be taking a hint that she was a little eager, or assume that she just really liked pink diamonds. Ygritte had despised the idea of all this _ritualized bullshit_ such as asking for her hand with a ring – and he never had in the end.

Just then she arrived, waving with her hands occupied with shopping bags already, _as she would_. Because who would Sansa be if she didn’t arrive at a shopping date having already done the shopping?

They half-hugged and she threw some vague apology for being late at him. Less an apology than a reminder of her priorities, actually.

He saw how her lip curled as she followed his gaze to Dany, still pressing her nose to the jewelry store window (and right at the ring section, too). She came strolling over to them to greet his sister. He presented them and they did one of those icy greetings women did, both their smiles doing little to hide the instant dislike.

At least it seemed to be mutual.

“I love that scarf,” Dany said to Sansa, and they talked some gibberish about designers.

“I wish _I_ could wear that pink,” Sansa said, pointing at Dany’s skirt. “It just makes most women look like little pigs, you know?”

So he spent the rest of the afternoon doing what he did, if not best, at least most: trying to mediate between parties that really wished to annihilate each other. As if he didn’t have enough of that at his job.

✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:* *:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧

That evening, Jon should have known. When they sat at Stark Saturday dinner sipping hot cider and Sansa said, “She seems like a bitch, honestly” before going back to chewing, _then_ he should have known.

Sansa being the first to meet Dany had been a coincidence, actually. He didn’t even see his half-sister that much during the year. As a fashion designer, she was _busy_ busy, and he had to deal with enough snarky remarks at his job already to chase after that kind of company in his free time. Not that he didn’t love her, they just weren’t each other’s cup of tea. Sometime in his mid-twenties, Jon had started to comprehend that Sansa showed her love in other ways, such as showering his cheating ex with hot coffee when given the first opportunity after the breakup, or the gift of one of her designs with hand-embroidered details specifically tailored to him and some niche interest he hadn’t even known she was aware of.

Christmas time was different. They were the only Stark children that had any notion of time passing during the month of December and knew to avoid the situation of panicked “so how about no presents this year” messages in the group chat around the 20th. Thus, they were ideal shopping partners to take care of the gifts expected by their wide-ranging circle of family and friends.

“Sansa!” Arya made a more scandalized face than she probably was feeling for his sake.

Sansa made a defensive gesture, showing off her long glossy nails. “I’m sorry. Jon, you know I only want the best for you - but that girl is a gold digger. I can smell it from a _mile._ Now wait” - and she shut up his protest with one motion - “I’m not saying she doesn’t _like_ you, but I looked up her family history, and the Targaryens are _totally_ broke. _That one_ is clinging onto the last bit of relevancy she has.” She made that annoying duck face of daring anyone to contradict her. “Her looks.”

“So she’s pretty, then?” Robb asked, evidently trying to salvage the situation.

“Pretty short,” Sansa replied.

“I’ll have to see for myself,” Robb answered, exchanging a meaningful look with Theon next to him. “Not everyone can be a fucking _gazelle_ , Sansa.”

But she had already turned her attention elsewhere. “ _Jon_ , don’t be mad. You don’t even really like her. I can tell.” And she bit into her steak sandwich again.

And she was right, kind of. Dating late in the year was a dangerous game, because you essentially ran the risk of having to jump ahead several milestones in the newborn relationship or showing up to all holiday events by yourself. Jon didn’t mind the latter, but since a large part of his personality was speaking about the weird things his many siblings were up to, it would have been weird not to introduce Dany at this time.

He liked her. She was charming as hell and one of those people who were always really excited about their current projects - in her case, she had recently begun salvaging her family’s dog breeding business of Afghan hounds, about which Jon now knew more than he wished to. Many of their dates consisted in playing with her favorite, Drogon, dressing him up to the nines and taking him to the park to show off.

Was it enough? No idea. But after his previous relationship, he really enjoyed how utterly uncomplicated things were with her, and how when she laughed, her eyes seemed to be dancing.

✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:* *:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧

When they all met up for ice-skating, Jon should have known. All Stark children loved the ice. Robb, Theon, Jon, Arya and Rickon had all played ice hockey at one point in time, and Sansa and Bran had always really enjoyed figure skating. But he hadn’t seen any crazy jumps or spins for years.

So when Sansa did an Axel, maybe he should really have known.

The Starks clapped their bravados, and she returned to where their little corner was, glowing and triumphant. She accepted a mug of hot tea from Catelyn and inhaled the steam before settling on a bench next to Bran.

Dany had told him up front that she hadn’t really skated much before. All things considered, she didn’t do too badly, and even though flailing her arms a couple of times, she didn’t even fall down. Still, it was clear she preferred to remain on the sidelines, and she eventually sent him off to skate a few rounds with the others.

When he returned, he found that Sansa had managed to talk her into giving it another try, apparently pretending to teach her. Jon suspected she just really enjoyed seeing Dany lose her balance and cling to the railing. Sansa was in her element and had that evil smile on her that probably meant she was having a blast. Sadist.

He liberated Dany from Sansa’s clutches and brought her back to have some more tea and cookies, and just in time. Her brave smile never left her face, but Jon could tell she was embarrassed and nervous. With Sansa as a teacher, that was hardly surprising.

At least she got on well enough with Robb and Theon, who had actually been talking about getting an expensive puppy for their new apartment for a while.

Dany left soon after, something had come up with the dogs. Once the crowds had cleared, Jon played another hockey match with his siblings. Sansa stole the puck from him twice, right under his nose.

✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:* *:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧

For inexplicable reasons, Sansa invited him and Dany to a work event in the second week of December along with Robb and Theon. She actually phrased it “bring your +1s” in her email, which, in the case of Robb and Theon, was sort of superfluous, since they would bring each other. Jon didn’t really think anything of it - but he really should have known then.

It was the first time she had invited him to one of her fashion events in years, and if not for Dany, he wasn’t sure he would have attended, but her eyes lit up and she immediately started talking about what she should wear, and whether she might want to buy a new dress for the occasion.

She ended up wearing a light blue velvet dress that gave her the look of a very pretty snowflake. He told her so, but the compliment seemed to miss its mark.

The event itself was as dry as he had anticipated. Sansa greeted them briefly when they arrived, but despite her immaculate appearance she seemed nervous and worn out. She was called backstage to oversee the show after a few minutes. At least there was alcohol, if only champagne, but at least it wasn’t the cheap stuff that left you with a headache within the hour.

They took their seats for the show and watched as glittering, ethereal creatures paraded on the stage. Robb and Theon, pretentious pricks that they were, discussed the outfits and models expertly with Dany. Sansa appeared towards the end of the show with the other designers to receive some more applause. 

Jon would have left after congratulating Sansa, but she insisted they all attend the afterparty, and once they got there, Dany had an unfortunate mishap with the hem of her dress. Evidently ashamed, she was escorted to the changing area by a very smug Sansa to fix it. He came across them later at the bar, and Sansa left them alone quickly with an excuse. He was not fooled. She was probably just glad not to have to entertain his girlfriend any longer than she already had. Or him, for that matter.

Later, when they were swaying at the outer spheres of the dance floor, he saw an Instagram notification from Ygritte pop up, and his heart beat treacherously. He didn’t open the app but stood transfixed while time under the swirling disco ball passed him by.

It had been a while.

He was glad when Dany said she wanted to go home to her dogs for the night and kissed him goodnight quickly before climbing into a taxi. His mood hadn’t passed, and with a guilty feeling, he unlocked his phone instead of watching her speed away into the night.

✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:* *:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧

In the third week of December, there was the accidental yet inevitable (“serendipitous”?) Stark Christmas market gathering. It was after dark, and they had already had two cups of mulled wine each. Dany was kneeling by their table feeding Drogon snacks to avoid him stealing their food. The dog didn’t really like Jon, and the feeling was mutual. But when Sansa and Arya stepped up to their table with steaming cups themselves, Drogon snuggled up against Sansa’s thigh immediately as she caressed his head, and stayed with her until Dany lured him back with more snacks. Jon should have known then.

He returned to their table a little later to find the three women in tense silence. He couldn’t make up his mind whether they had fallen silent because of his reappearance, or whether they had run out of talking points a while back. Arya started telling him about a recent band practice, but Sansa and Dany didn’t even try to make conversation and turned their attention to Drogon instead.

Shortly after, they were joined by his father and Catelyn. He knew fancy dogs weren’t exactly their cup of tea either, but they seemed to take to Drogon immediately and then began asking Dany about her family situation, and before he knew it, they had invited Dany to spend the holidays with them. She gave them a wide smile but then shot him a worried glance and said thank you and it would be her pleasure, but she wasn’t sure whether she would be free yet.

Jon’s immediate reaction was relief, then guilt, and a half-hearted attempt to censor his thoughts. It was _fine_. It was early, and they hadn’t talked about it yet. They had both been burned before, and they took their steps together carefully and deliberately. And so what if he would have walked through fire with Ygritte without a second thought?

He was quiet as they walked through the crowd

If he had learned one thing from the last few years, it was that he would rather be someone’s second best choice than a fate-ridden inevitability. Sticking together only meant something if there wasn’t a rubber band that kept you coming back.

And yet…

✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:* *:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧

Sansa called him four days before Christmas late at night. Never mind that he might be sleeping (he wasn’t).

She wasn’t drunk, as far as he could tell, but definitely in a state of what they called _crunch_. “You know,” she sighed, “the last week is always a nightmare.”

They went through their list of gifts for distant relatives and family friends once again, checking that all packages had been sent and nobody had been left out. Thankfully, it seemed they hadn’t missed anyone this year.

“So are you bringing her?” From the sound of her voice, she was holding the phone pressed between her ear and shoulder while she was working on her sewing machine.

“I think so,” Jon said, with some hesitation.

“I don’t understand what you want with her,” Sansa said, almost aggressively. “Like you can’t tell me that you actually want to _be_ with her.”

Jon’s instinct was to defend Dany, but he also realized that instinct was perhaps misplaced. “I don’t think she has anyone else to celebrate with,” he said with a sigh.

There was silence on the other end of the line, and then Sansa’s voice came through the phone more directly, as if she was holding it properly now. “So I’m right.”

“I like her,” Jon said. “A lot. But she’s not - we’re not -”

“Do you think it’s okay to lead someone on like that?”

“I’m not leading her on,” Jon said. “As I said, I like her. It’s just that these damn holidays-”

She interrupted him. “Don’t you think that if you want to be with someone, you should be honest about your feeling no matter the consequence?” She fell silent abruptly, and he heard her breathing for a moment before she added, even more vehemently: “At least to yourself?”

But was it really a question?

She changed topics after that and talked about more preparations for the family gathering before they said goodnight. He knew this behavior of hers, the rambling and shuffling when she was afraid that she had said too much.

He should have known then.

✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:* *:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧

Just when Jon began to truly tire of the concept of Christmas and everything associated with it, the festivities themselves were upon them, and Jon found himself a single man who had somehow invited his former girlfriend to his family’s holiday gathering.

The meeting in which they had broken up had been a walk in the park with Drogon, their go-to date. And it had been like any other time until he’d suddenly seen Ygritte and her bright red hair between the trees like a phantom.

He had been so shaken, there was no hiding it, and in the end he had told Dany, also to convince himself whether he had imagined it. Wouldn’t that be something?

And suddenly they had been sitting on an ice-cold bench and words had been coming out of his mouth and he had not been able to _stop_. He had been distantly aware of the fact that there would be no relationship with Dany once he’d told her the truth, and worse, that admitting this truth was an act of violence against himself in the first place.

He would never go back to her, never. Especially when it seemed like the only direction to go.

Confessing his undying love for another woman he knew he could never be with again to his current girlfriend certainly hadn’t been among his resolutions for this, or any year. And yet. Dany had proceeded to comfort him with words much more understanding than he could have imagined, which perhaps said more about him than her. They had sat on that bench for a long time, and even Drogon had seemed to have taken pity on him.

In the following days, Jon had been overcome with an affection for her he hadn’t felt before, though it was a wide throw from infatuation. They had texted more than before, exchanging memes and complaining about holiday stress. He’d insisted she come as planned, citing all the times the Stark siblings brought friends, and she’d finally said yes, perhaps because his enthusiasm had finally been sincere.

They all arrived at the Stark house in the afternoon, armed to the teeth with gifts and culinary offerings. Jon had to assist Dany with the huge bag of gifts she had brought, insisting she wouldn’t feel comfortable crashing their party otherwise. She was looking very pretty. Sansa had arrived before them and opened the door. Her eyes wandered critically over their outfits, but even she could find no fault in Dany’s light blue velvet dress and silver earrings.

It did not take long until they were all pleasantly drunk. Catelyn even sat with Jon and asked him about his job. In the corner of his eye, he saw Dany chatting with Rickon and Robb, Sansa standing with them looking bored.

The evening passed quickly. As often, Sansa’s gifts were the object of much admiration since she always designed and hand-made gifts for each of them. This year, she had given Jon a soft dark green sweater with winter details along the sleeves.

When most gifts had been exchanged and everyone had settled down with their new books and other gadgets, Sansa approached Dany, a large gift in her arms. Jon was sitting on the sofa with his mulled wine. Next to him, Robb, Arya and Rickon were noisily watching a re-run of their favorite holiday film. He watched as Sansa almost threw the gift into Dany’s arms and crossed her arms in front of her chest watching her open it. Sansa bit her lip nervously, while trying to keep a cool face.

Jon couldn’t see what it was at first, but the look that passed between them once Dany had unwrapped the gift unsettled him. He didn’t understand it, but it was then that he knew.

The wrappings fell to the side, and Dany was holding a large piece of fabric in her arms. She held it in front of her with a stunned look on her face. It was a grey overcoat with wide sleeves, adorned and embroidered along the hems, the collar and the shoulders with something that looked like scales in white, blue and darker grey.

He watched as Sansa stepped towards Dany and helped her put it on. Dany’s cheeks were flushed. The fingers of her left hand kept going over the details around her collar, but her other hand rested on Sansa’s where she had adjusted the coat sleeves. Sansa’s gaze swept up and met his; she was red in the face as well. Then she looked away.

Catelyn joined them to gush about the cut and the details, and they tucked and pulled at the coat for a while. Jon had taken up his drink again, the past few weeks flashing before his eyes.

A lot of things were starting to make sense.

Sansa had the decency to don an apologetic expression when she brought him some whiskey later. They clinked glasses silently. Dany was still wearing the overcoat when she came over to sit with them as well. She caught his gaze and made a face. It was the exact same as her favorite emoji – the freezing blue one caught between snowflakes.

To his own surprise, he laughed. It must be the Christmas spirit; he felt it for the first time in years.


End file.
